France has proposed expanding its renewable gas support scheme to include pyrolysis and gasification projects, a move that could broaden the country’s biomethane production pathways and open new opportunities for thermochemical conversion technologies.
Under the draft decree, France would extend its Biogas Production Certificate (CPB) scheme from 2029 to 2041 while broadening eligibility beyond anaerobic digestion and landfill gas recovery.
The proposal would adopt a principle of ‘technological neutrality’, allowing biomethane produced through thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and gasification to qualify for support alongside more established production pathways.
Unlike anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis converts woody biomass and other residual feedstocks into renewable gas by heating them in the absence of oxygen, creating a gas that can be upgraded into biomethane.
The CPB scheme requires natural gas suppliers to surrender certificates linked to biomethane production.
Producers can sell these certificates separately from the physical biomethane they inject into the gas grid, creating an additional revenue stream intended to encourage investment in renewable gas projects.
According to the French government, extending the scheme through 2041 is intended to provide the long-term visibility needed to develop and finance new projects.
The draft decree would also allow unused certificates to be carried into the next compliance period, providing greater flexibility for market participants.
The move follows several months of government consideration over whether to broaden the scheme.
In responses to written questions in the French Senate earlier this year, the government said it was assessing the inclusion of thermochemical technologies, including pyrogasification, hydrothermal gasification and power-to-methane, under a technology-neutral approach, subject to meeting environmental and energy performance criteria.
Welcoming the proposal, Andrew White, CEO of CHAR Technologies, said, “France moving to open its principal long-term renewable gas support mechanism to pyrolysis is a very encouraging signal for our European strategy.”
“It points toward a clear, durable route to market for pyrolysis-based renewable gas in one of Europe’s largest gas markets. This materially strengthens the addressable opportunity for HTP in France and supports the pipeline being developed with GazoTech, with Bio-Méthane Provence as the flagship.”
Maël Disa, CEO of GazoTech, said the proposal “recognises thermochemical pathways alongside anaerobic digestion, which is exactly the framework our projects need to reach final investment decision.”
“With Bio-Méthane Provence as our lead project and a growing pipeline behind it, we intend to be a first mover in deploying HTP at industrial scale in France. We will continue to engage constructively in the public consultation as the text moves toward final adoption,” he added.
One project that could benefit is Bio-Méthane Provence, a development led by GazoTech using CHAR Technologies’ High-Temperature Pyrolysis platform.
The Gardanne coal-fired power station is the planned site for a project that could benefit from the proposal ©Collectif SOS Forêt du Sud
Planned for the site of the former 600MW Gardanne coal-fired power station, which was later converted to biomass generation, the facility is expected to process around 115,000 tonnes of recovered wood annually, producing 230 GWh of renewable natural gas and 12,000 tonnes of biocarbon.
If adopted, the proposed changes could provide a clearer route to market for developers converting woody biomass and other residual feedstocks into renewable natural gas.
Commercial operations are targeted for the second half of 2029, subject to permitting and financing.
